Love Endures
by The Auburn Girl
Summary: Cora does not pretend to be dead in the coffin. Instead, she convinces Regina to work with her to defeat Rumplestiltskin and destroy Snow. She is very happy to find out that Regina has the woman Rumplestiltskin loves locked away in her dungeon. Cora and Rumplestiltskin end up making a deal. Rumbelle AU.


**This was for dreatine-my Rumbelle Secret Santa on Tumblr :D The prompt I was given: "Belle saves Rumple from Cora". Enjoy!**

When Regina confessed her plans over the corpse of her mother, she did not expect her mother to frown. Her first thought was that she must be hallucinating. Hook had killed Cora, had ripped her heart from her chest and crushed it with his one good hand. He said she had put up a fight, that it was nothing he couldn't handle.

Swallowing hard, Regina placed the rose she held onto her mother's chest. "Goodbye, Mother. I'm sorry it had to be this way..." She turned away to bite her lip and then shake her head. After a few unsteady breaths, she rushed to the doors and clasped their handles, but a gentle sigh and rustle made her pause.

She was imagining things. She _had _to be imagining things.

"Regina..."

Regina whirled, and gasped at the sight of her mother sitting up in what was supposed to be her _coffin_. She sat poised and tall, one hand gripping tight to the coffin's side in order to gain leverage. Regina watched as her mother's chest slowly rose and fell. Cora was very much alive, unlike what Hook had claimed. "Mother," she whispered, throat constricted. "You—you're supposed to be—"

"Dead. Yes, I know." Cora smiled, showing off her white teeth. She disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke and then reappeared in front of her marble coffin. "I had to see you, and I was going to take your heart...but now I know why you sent me through the looking glass and tried to have me killed. And...and it's all right."

"I think it's not all right," Regina answered, backing away. She was too shocked and overwhelmed to think clearly. She had not spoken to her mother in years, and she was not ready to break that streak.

"I love you. I just...I've just shown it in all the wrong ways. I shouldn't have made you marry the king. I'm so sorry..."

The words were like a blow to Regina's heart. She stumbled back against the double doors and stared at her mother, unsure how to respond. "I can't have any weakness," she whispered, clutching the wall beside her for support. "I can't in order to destroy Snow's happiness and control Rumplestiltskin—and you're in my way, Mother."

Cora's dark eyes glittered and her smile became sinister and knowing. "What if I told you I knew of a way to take Rumplestiltskin's power, and with it, together, we could use it to destroy Snow?"

There was a pregnant pause, in which Cora's words echoed in Regina's mind. Take the feared, all-powerful Dark One's magic and_ use_ that magic to obliterate Snow and her stupid Prince Charming? She had made plans to defend herself in case Rumplestiltskin came knocking, had made certain his one weakness was under her control. And that weakness was Belle.

"Can I trust you?" she wondered, gazing fiercely at Cora. "Why do you want to help me?"

"I want to make it up to you, sweetheart. It's time we ended Rumplestiltskin's reign once and for all. And once we harness his power...I promise we will make Snow _suffer_."

A pleased smirk spread across Regina's face. "Mother...what if I told you I had the woman Rumplestiltskin loves locked away in my dungeon?" She watched as her mother straightened and clasped her hands together.

"Then I would say we can use her to kill the beast."

* * *

Belle's face was throbbing. The man with the hook was gone, but he had left behind a mark on the bruised skin along her right temple and cheek bone. Yet the mark was nothing compared to the emotional damage he had caused her.

She could be free right now, running through the forest and shouting Rumplestiltskin's name. The man had said Rumplestiltskin waged war against her father... She had no idea why they were fighting, but she needed to stop them, to tell them she was all right. And then whatever lies Queen Regina had told Rumplestiltskin would come to light. Whatever poisonous thoughts she had put in his head would vanish.

"Oh, Rumple... Ow!" She hissed in pain and withdrew her fingertips from her temple, and the hot tears that followed only made it worse. She could handle being locked up in dungeon, could handle rotting foot and little water, but she could _not_ handle uncertainty. She was desperate for any news of her father or Rumplestiltskin, and the man with the hook had only increased her desperation.

Her burning eyes scanned the room and counted the lines etched into the wall. Over five hundred. She had been trapped in this dungeon for over five hundred days.

It was only by sheer willpower that she had made it this far. Her belief that Rumplestiltskin would find her had faded with time, although her love for him had not. She had spent the first few months constantly calling, whispering, and sometimes sobbing her True Love's name. Now she rarely drew breath to form it.

When his name had not drawn him, she had decided to take matters into her own hands. She had searched every crevice, every nook and cranny, looking for a weakness, only to find out there was none. Magical barriers surrounded her cell, and although they did not keep her trapped inside, they _did _keep Rumplestiltskin from hearing her pleas. Queen Regina had said so herself.

It would take a miracle for Belle to escape Queen Regina's magical dungeon.

Or fate playing a cruel trick.

A few days after the man with the hook broke into her cell, Queen Regina came to call. And she was not alone.

An older woman, who was both slender and elegant, entered with her. She wore a long cape and foreboding colors, but it was not her clothes that made Belle's heart race in panic. It was the murderous glint in her eyes and her insincere smile. "So this is the girl?" the woman queried, sounding disappointed. "This is she who holds Rumplestiltskin's heart?"

"Yes," the Queen answered, and if Belle was not mistaken, she looked _pleased_.

The older woman tutted, then speared Belle with a look. "What is your name, girl?"

"Belle."

"Ah... '_Beauty_'. Ironic, isn't it, that the beauty fell in love with the beast?"

Belle did not rise to her bait. She never broke eye-contact with the woman, even as she circled and studied her. When the woman walked the final arc of her circuit, her hand snatched out and gripped Belle's jaw hard. Suddenly, the room was filled with her stunned cry. "Let go of me!"

"She has fire, too," the woman laughed. "Let's see if the guards can whip _that _out of her."

Queen Regina shook her head. "Mother..." Belle's eyes grew wide at her address. "We need her intact. Rumplestiltskin—"

"—will trade the dagger for her even if she is bruised and bloodied. Really, Regina," the woman, Queen Regina's _mother_, cut across her. "Do you honestly think it will matter once he sees her? He believes her to be dead, and you lied to him. Either way...he will be furious. We might as well have some fun."

The woman's words overwhelmed Belle, and she could not stand, so she sank to the ground. Her knees banged against the stone floor, but she did not feel it. Her thoughts were too focused, too centered on putting the conversation she had just heard together. Rumplestiltskin... So the Queen _had _told him lies. Now the reason why he had not found her was obvious. He believed her to be dead and one could not find someone who was dead.

They were going to trade her for some sort of dagger, although she was not sure Rumplestiltskin _would _make a deal for her. The dagger Queen Regina and her mother wanted had to be a very powerful weapon if they were going to use her to get it. Rumplestiltskin...well, she had to believe he would sacrifice one of his precious items for her, but the last time she had seen him, he had ordered her to go. He had been a coward.

And yet a deep part of Belle was relieved. She might finally leave her dungeon. There was a _chance_ she would never see it again, if Rumplestiltskin dealt for her.

"What makes you think he'll deal for me? He threw me out of his castle," she challenged, trying to temper her rising hope and fear. The mention of whips had worried her.

"Oh, he will," Queen Regina's mother said brightly. "You are his weakness, dear. _Love _is a weakness, and once he sees you in pain, he will be powerless. That is how love is. It softens the heart and cripples the mind. He will not be able to think clearly."

"You're terrible."

The woman was not affected by her words. "Have the guards torture her until she screams. And make sure they wipe none of the blood away. Rumple always wanted a show, and we'll give him just that." Her voice still reverberated inside the cell when she exited. Queen Regina was left to smile grimly at Belle's shocked expression.

"Guards," she called, voice dripping with venom.

Two guards clad in full gear stepped into the room.

"Yes, Your Majesty?" one spoke.

"Have this woman bound and whipped. Clean none of her wounds. Once you are done, gag her." Having given them her orders, she left the room, dress brushing past Belle's knees.

Belle stared after her and then lifted her gaze to meet the guards' eyes.

The one on the left sniggered.

They dragged her to the dungeon's wall and chained her there, both somewhat surprised by her lack of struggle. When the first slash of the whip hit her, it left a searing pain on her back and tore at the fabric of her dress. The second landed on her flesh with a fierce crack, tearing the fabric still more and causing a small whimper to escape her. Blow after blow went by and Belle swore the guards' arms never tired. The pain blinded her—made tears sting her eyes. She gritted her teeth and cried out and, somewhere along the way, she screamed. It was a blessing when she finally fainted.

A sharp smack to her face woke her up, and the shriek of agony that immediately followed could not belong to her. It was too raw. Too loud.

Someone chuckled. "They did well," Queen Regina's mother said. "Now we must be off. Don't go anywhere, pet," she added to Belle. "Rumplestiltskin will want proof that you're alive."

They vanished in a puff of purple smoke, and Belle gave a muffled cough. She struggled to breathe because the gag stuffed in her mouth did not let her suck in air. Gingerly, she rolled onto her side. Her hands and feet were bound, making the process very complicated, but she managed. It took even more effort and energy to get her knees under her and peer around the cell.

Blood stained the wall and floor where she had been whipped into unconsciousness.

Belle tried not to stare at the sight.

Instead, she began to catalogue her wounds. Her face was still bruised, her knees were scratched, and her back—well, her back was in tatters. She was too scared to try and look at the wounds there.

Luckily, she did not have to sit there long. Purple smoke engulfed her from head to toe, and the next second, she was in the Great Hall of the Dark Castle. She knew it was the Dark Castle because the first thing she spotted was Rumplestiltskin's spinning wheel sitting in its lonely corner. Relief washed over her. She slumped forward, unable to bear her weight on her knees any longer, and fell onto the red carpet with a whimper of pain.

Where was Rumplestiltskin?

From her angle, she could see the Queen and her mother standing together side-by-side. Both appeared confident, although she swore the Queen looked hunted, like she did not want to be present. Her dark eyes darted from Belle to something over Belle's shoulder. Belle tried to roll over, to see Rumplestiltskin (because he was the only person who could terrify the Queen), but her bonds kept her from moving. She stared at the legs of the grand table, the chairs, and the double doors she remembered going through countless times.

The sound of ragged, enraged breathing pulled her attention away from them.

"_Belle_... What did you _do _to her?" someone snarled.

Belle tried to twist once more. She _knew _that voice and the person it belonged to.

_Rumplestiltskin_.

"As you can see, she is quite alive," Queen Regina's mother ignored him.

Rumplestiltskin gave a harsh giggle, and if Belle had not known his rage was directed at Queen Regina and her mother, she would have been frightened. "_Alive_ but not _intact_, Cora."

"Do you want her or not?"

There was silence. At first, Belle was certain Rumplestiltskin would answer the woman—_Cora_, she reminded herself—but as the seconds ticked by, she became unsure. Her heart raced. Panic started to rise in her chest. Yet it was stopped by Rumplestiltskin's sharp hiss.

"Of _course _I do."

Cora's smile growing wider was Belle's only warning. Cora's foot kicked out, hitting her square in the shoulder, and the force caused her to roll over and onto her back.

Belle screamed at the sudden touch of the carpet's rough exterior to her back. The gag muffled most of it, but it was obvious she was in pain. Through the tears in her eyes, she saw a fireball sail through the air and miss Queen Regina and Cora by inches. "Ah, ah, Rumple!" Cora sang.

"Don't touch her," he barked. The high-pitched tone he often used was gone, replaced by a low, deadly growl.

From her new position, she could finally see him. He was dressed in his bristled leathers—the ones he wore when he needed to intimidate others and put on a show. His hands were clenched tightly at his sides, and when she raised her eyes to meet his gaze, she spotted terrible fury in his eyes. Meeting her look, his expression softened. "Belle..." he murmured.

Cora tsked and brought his attention back to her.

"What do you want?" Rumplestiltskin asked, tight-lipped.

"Your dagger."

That was definitely not the answer he was looking for because he frowned, his eyes flicking from Belle back to Cora. "My dagger..." he said slowly, walking toward the mantelpiece. "For Belle's freedom."

Cora grinned, while Queen Regina nodded. "Yes."

Rumplestiltskin surveyed them seriously, pausing with his hands clasped together in front of him. It was the moment Cora and the Queen were waiting for, and Belle had to wonder whether or not he would accept their deal. Whatever the dagger was, whatever it did, was clearly valuable to both women. It had to be powerful. "And what is in it for you, dearie?" Rumplestiltskin asked the Queen. "Your mother is using you to get what she wants, as she has always done."

He was stalling, trying to find another way out of his predicament.

"Once we have your power, we will use it to defeat Snow, and then I won't need your pathetic curse, Rumple," the Queen replied with venom. "You won't turn me on my mother again."

"Cora is manipulating you."

"I love her, and I am her mother," Cora hissed, sensing his game.

"You can't love. You _have_ no heart."

"_I _will help her destroy Snow."

"Enough, Rumple!" the Queen yelled. "You will not change my mind. Not _this _time."

Rumplestiltskin walked quietly around the room. "I have other magical items you might prefer, Cora. The goblet of eternal life?" With a flick of his wrist, a golden goblet appeared on the table between them. Another flick and a glowing sword lay beside it. "Excalibur's sword, rumored to have the power to slay any magical creature? A looking glass that can transport one between other magical realms?" A long mirror leaned against the table.

Cora laughed, pleased she had trapped him. "We want the Dark One's dagger, Rumplestiltskin. We will take nothing else. The dagger for your love."

Rumplestiltskin grimaced and then decided to completely drop his charade. Belle saw his choice in the way his shoulders slumped. "There are conditions," he said, "that _will_ be met. Once I hand the dagger over to you, you will let me unbind and heal Belle. You will not harm her or have _me _harm her. You will let her go free." As he spoke, he looked at Belle. "I'm sorry, Belle... For everything."

Belle's eyes watered. She had forgiven him long ago, after she had saved Prince Phillip from his curse and dealt with her own fears. There was nothing left to forgive.

_What did the dagger do?_ she wanted to ask. He seemed so resigned and grim, and she had no idea what the 'Dark One's dagger' did. She did not get the chance to voice her question, though.

"Deal," Cora breathed. "Give me the dagger and you have her."

Belle watched Rumplestiltskin raise his hand. She blinked as purple smoke surrounded it and then strained to see the curvy dagger that materialized in his grasp. She could see black detail on it, could determine that the letters on the blade spelled 'Rumplestiltskin'. "Here." The dagger flew to Cora's hand.

She caught it and let out a breathless chuckle. She grabbed her daughter's hand and took several steps away from Belle.

Belle would have continued to stare at her and the blade in her hand had Rumplestiltskin not touched her cheek. She had not seen him kneel beside her. The moment his fingertips made contact with her skin, the gag disappeared, and she gasped in surprise. "Rumple, I—" she rushed to speak before it was too late.

"It's all right, Belle," he whispered. His reptilian-like eyes darted to her face in shame, and he had to look away again. "I'm so sorry..." He raised his scaled hands and turned her over, all gentle strength and soft touches. She felt the hum of magic along her face and along the flesh of her back. "There." He proceeded to tap the bonds around her wrists and ankles. They broke apart.

She was free.

"Rumple, you don't have to do this," she begged, cupping his face. He helped her stand. "What does it do? What does the dagger do?" She clutched at his leather, and he automatically circled her waist with his arms.

"It allows me to control him." Cora had snuck up on them and now stood a few feet away. "Or kill him and claim his curse as my own." She raised the dagger high above her head and brought it down.

In the mere seconds that followed, Belle felt Rumplestiltskin try to push her away. She dug her fingers into his lapels and twisted to place herself in front of him and face the weapon. The blade glittered and shined as it descended, and it was splashed with crimson when it cut into her flesh. It did not only break skin. It sank inches into her shoulder, cutting through muscle and clashing against bone.

Blind and in pain, Belle kicked out. Her knee caught Cora in the stomach, and the woman gasped and was thrown back. Queen Regina steadied her and kept her from falling to the ground. The dagger remained lodged where Cora had placed it.

Rumplestiltskin's arms dragged her back, his breaths hot and loud against her ear. "Belle!" he cried desperately, but once he saw that the dagger was imbedded in her shoulder, he visibly breathed a sigh of relief. And stiffened.

She was free, yet Cora had broken the deal. The deal itself was now void, and Rumplestiltskin seemed to realize that. He laid her down on the carpet. "This will hurt, sweetheart," he said softly, and he grabbed the hilt and unsheathed it from her body. She writhed beneath him, tried to shove him away because the pain was unbearable, but he succeeded. Blood gushed from the wound, but his eyes were not focused on it or her. His eyes flew to Cora and the Queen.

The two women looked frantically at each other. The tables had just turned, and not in their favor.

"You cannot escape. You'll pay for this, dearies," he hissed darkly, rising from his haunches.

Belle gripped his left ankle before he could stalk towards them and commit murder. "Rumple," she pleaded, sucking in air and trying not to cry, "don't—don't kill them. You're not a monster... _Please_."

He paused, staring down at her with an incredulous look. For a brief moment, she thought he would go against her wishes even while she lay there, on the ground, bleeding—even though she had experienced more than five hundred days in a dungeon because of their love. His eyes were too clouded with rage, his breaths too frequent and raspy. But he surprised her.

Instead of killing Cora, he lifted the crimson dagger and waved it. Cora shrieked and was tossed through the air like a ragdoll. "Mother!" Queen Regina yelled, scrambling after her. She was too late. Belle watched, mouth wide open, as Cora soared across the room and flew into the looking glass Rumplestiltskin had summoned earlier.

"Go back to your prison," Rumplestiltskin growled.

She was pulled into the glass, through to another realm. The last Belle saw of her was her expression of horror and of defeat. She had known that horror, had experienced it in the dungeon, and could honestly find no pity for the woman.

The glass shattered.

And Cora was gone.

"No!" her daughter shouted after her.

"And _you_." Rumplestiltskin turned to confront the Queen: the woman who had been the reason for all of her suffering, the woman who had locked her away for almost two years. "You will leave, dearie. I am not quite finished with you yet, and I will not forget what you've done."

The Queen vanished in a wave of purple smoke.

They were alone, finally after what seemed like eternity. They were back together, in the place where their love had formed. Yet Belle could not recall any of their time together being as painful as it was now. Still, she breathed a sigh of relief and shuddered at the pain that lanced through her. She raised her free hand to finger the soaked fabric around her wound.

"Belle, don't touch it—" Rumplestiltskin's warning was too late.

Her fingertips made contact with the deep cut. As if it had been waiting, magic raced along her skin, making her feel dizzy. Darkness seeped into her mind, and she did not fight it. She let the darkness in, and fainted.

* * *

When Belle next became aware of her surroundings, the familiar smell of old books and roses invaded her senses. Groaning lowly, she forced open her eyes and lifted her head to look around. She was in her old bed. Thick, silky sheets covered her and plump pillows supported her neck, and when she scrutinized her old room, she saw that none of it had been changed.

"Belle." Rumplestiltskin sat beside her bed in a wooden chair. He looked weary, though happy to see she was awake. He had replaced his stiff leather with a silk dress shirt under a velvet vest. She thought him rather handsome.

"Hey," she greeted him, voice cracked.

He gave her a weak smile. "Hey."

An awkward silence settled between them, and Belle could not stop looking at his face. She had dreamed of him, had pictured him countless times while in the dungeons of Queen Regina's castle. He had not changed, but she was sure _she _had. She had grown very thin and it was possible her beauty was not what it used to be. She had no idea if her hunch was correct, though; she had yet to look properly into a mirror.

"You're alive... You saved me."

"What?" she asked, distracted by her thoughts.

Rumplestiltskin leaned forward in his seat and bowed his head. "You saved me from Cora, and I—I thought you were dead. I should not have thrown you out... I'm so sorry, Belle."

She reached out and fingered his curly hair. "It's all right, Rumple. I forgive you."

His head shot up and his eyes searched hers. "What?"

Belle smiled. "I said I forgive you." She had spent so much time in her cell, wondering what would happen if she ever broke free. Now that he knew she was alive and obviously cared about her, she could not possibly hold a grudge against him. She was never one to hold grudges in the first place. "I love you."

"And I love you," he responded, voice reverent and sincere.

She touched his face and then tried to sit up. Immediately, he was on his feet and helping her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her so that her back was against the pillows. "I healed your shoulder... You lost a lot of blood, Belle."

"How long was I asleep?"

The bed dipped as he sat on the edge. He was so close and yet seemed so far away. "Two days."

"Will you...will you let me stay?"

He was sad and horrified that she felt like she had to ask. She could see it in his frown, in the tremor of his lips. "Of course," he managed hoarsely. "Of course you can stay, Belle. And I promise I will protect you, keep you safe."

"Can I see my father again?"

It took him longer to respond, but eventually, he scooted further onto her bed and grabbed her hand. "If you wish it..." He stared down at their joined hands, not meeting her eye.

"I do."

He was so lost and confused, yet so gentle. She tried to imagine what it would be like to believe a loved one lost and then find out they were alive. She would be stunned, she decided. Happy and stunned. "Come here, Rumple?" she asked shyly, offering her arms.

He required no more encouragement and crawled the rest of the way into her embrace. They held each other for a long time, simply breathing the other in. She ended up dozing off on his chest. When she woke up, he still held her close. He held her while he fed her porridge, held her when they spoke of their future, and even held her in his arms while he read to her.

And Belle knew that while she was in his arms, everything would be okay.


End file.
